The Devil's Playground

by Michael Reagan

strategy suddenly began to form.

  "Beginning with the annexation of Takeshima," the Foreign Minister had said.

  "That interesting," Jiang ruminated. "Are they really that stupid?"

  The Liancourt Rocks, the international name for a group of mineral rich islands administrated by Korea but known as "Takeshima" in Japan had always been a source of Nationalist anger and rhetoric so to Jiang it made perfect, if somewhat flawed, sense that it should be the first piece of territory they should seek to return to the fold rather than focusing on the resource bounty under the East China Sea.

  Jiang took another sip of green tea just as his assistant arrived in his office. Immediately feeling the hot brew worked its magic, he indicated for the young man to sit.

  In 2013 when China had set up the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone and within it included the disputed Daioyu /Senkaku Islands, despite them being administered by Japan, and then announced to the world that they would require all aircraft entering the zone to file a flight plan and submit radio frequency or transponder information with no immediate reaction from the United States Administration, it had not been lost on Jiang nor his colleagues.

  They had also noticed that once the previous Administration had lost the support of the Senate and Congress who, spurred by a public that was sick over the continued losses in Afghanistan, had stopped first their country's intervention into Syria and then, scared by the conflict that had nearly erupted with Russia over an East African Naval base, had chosen to focus their efforts on Korea reunification.

  It was because of this that at the time Jiang and the Minister of National Defense of China had felt confident enough to present to their colleagues of Council a plan to annex the island, arguing that it was unlikely that the Americans would dare risk a conflict with China.

  A conclusion they reached when the U.S declared the islands as part of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan.

  This was because in simple term in the document which stated "that in defense of the islands by Japan would "require" the United States to come to Japan's aid" not "expect"?Thereby in short, to quote one of Jiang's British friends, "Only required the US to offer every assistance short of help!"

  Although the General Secretary had supported the plan, in the end their fellow council members had voted against it, believing instead that a nuclear demilitarized Korea presented a better proposition to the Economy.

  "This could be the time to revisit it," thought Jiang before turning his attention on his assistant for a few moments so the young man could be issued with his instructions.

  Once the young assistant left, Jiang returned to work on the plan that had begun to formulate in his mind, an action that was going to be built around the supplier that he believed the Japanese intended to make the focus of their wrath and use as their excuse to foolishly annex the Liancourt Rocks in order to give them access to their own Natural Gas Reserves and provide, in the process, the justification to be used by China for their subsequent action.

  "Yes, a good strategy," Jiang thought, nodding his head having decided that it was time for his country to use the chaos that such a stupid action by the Japanese Nationalists would allow China the justification it needed to annex the Daioyu Islands from Japan.

  "After all, America can hardly stand in judgment of China's actions when one of its principal allies in the region annexes a piece of territory from that of one of its other key partners, in the region." he mused and summarized outloud using the ancient Chinese proverb, "He who strikes the first blow admits he's lost the argument."

  Yet before this could happen the MPS needed to make sure it had a full grip on the players who would be central to Asia's first land grab since the 1930s.

  "Black holes," he said out loud again while he picked up the telephone, this time for a call he intended to make personally.

  "You only get one second chance!" he thought determinedly as he quickly dialed the number. "I do not intend to waste it." He continued outloud to his empty office.

  Within seconds a female voice greeted him. The conversation was short and cordial and ended with an order for the agent known as "Sha," the Chinese word for "Sable," to be at his private office on Changan Avenue next to Tiananmen Square within the next hour.

  One hour later on cue the agent known as Sha followed his assistant into the office. As she sat down in front of him the spy chief assessed her for a moment. There was no doubt that Zhang Nu looked stunningly beautiful in the little grey power-suit she was wearing. It complimented her piercing jade-colored eyes, long creamy legs, and her loose shiny, long dark hair to a T.

  Sensing he was examining her, the young woman, as a sign of respect to his position, Zhang gracefully covered her mouth so not to show her smile.

  Zhang, coveted by many within the corridors of power as a potential spouse or mistress and not just by him, always brought a smile to the Spy Chief's face and an immediate reaction to his loins. Today was no different but for the moment the Head of MPS dismissed such thoughts for now the young lady remained an important instrument of the State to be unleashed on powerful men who had a weaknesses for young beautiful flesh.

  "Miss Zhang, I have a new assignment for you and it's your most important to date," he stated in measured tones as he handed her a jacket with Sir Thomas Litchfield's name on it.

  18

  Ashgabat

  To this day Turkmenistan is a country that is still governed by the ancient tribal laws of Alexander the Great despite, initially then USSR who over a period of eighty years and then lately its first president Saparmurat Niyazov foolhardy attempts to eradicate it during their respective reigns. It was also the country that had been responsible for giving Thomas the love of his life and since that night in Bangkok two years ago, he had now discovered it would be the constant source of a blood feud that would involve his and Nara's family long after he had departed this world.

  Consequently, whenever Thomas visited the nation's capital it was a trip of mixed emotions for him. As he gazed out of the window of TLH's BBJ airplane as it made its way over the mountains, his mind wandered back to Nara. A sense of loss wrapped itself around him and a sad smile formed on his lips.

  Nara had bewitched Thomas, in the same way that Alexander the Great's Turkmen wife Roxana had once done thousands of years ago. There would never be another woman in his life that would ever hold his heart the way she had once done. Beautiful and exotic, with exquisite long dark hair she had been as proud as any of the famous wild horses of her country.

  He smiled. His heart had never stood a chance when he had first set eyes that day on her at the age of nineteen in the office of that animal who had once owned her, Oleg Rejejow. Accompanying this moment of joy came the mixed emotions of a terrible feeling of loss and guilt and then an immense sense of pride, a direct result of the natural refocusing of his haunted mind on their beautiful daughter who at sixteen was almost a mirror image of her mother at that age and just as fiery.

  Thomas's mind wandered back to the conversation of just yesterday over supper with his daughter who to his surprise and that of Tania, her grandmother, had announced to them both that it was her intention to attend Moscow State Institute of International Relations on leaving school join the Foreign Service for a few years before finally, her duties completed, she intended to become a member of the Duma, the Russian Parliament.

  When Thomas had asked her why she had given him the same look of shock that her mother had always given him whenever he had questioned her spending habits or her intentions, albeit in a perfect English accent compared to her mother's sexy broken English.

  "I thought you wanted to go to Oxford to study Art History," he had continued over a spoonful of Tania's Chorba, the famous soup of Turkmenistan made with meat, potato and rice.

  "I can do more for Mother Russia serving in the Foreign Service and then in her parliament than I can ever do studying paintings," Victoria h
ad replied proudly then for added effect, "Daddy." She shook her head to imply that had been a stupid question to ask before continuing with her explanation. "One day I am going to run TLH. As the Russian people have handed big business the unusual role of providing some form of checks and balances," almost as if she was repeating a line from a textbook word perfectly, "I need to ensure that I do not let them down. That means I need to be part of the system rather than swimming upstream against the current like a salmon does." She looked at him with maturity way beyond her tender years.

  "And who did you hear all this from?" Thomas had asked in shock because five minutes ago she had been begging him to let her go to her best friend's birthday party that had the latest teenager heartthrob from America performing at it. Now here she was quoting words and lines that a politician belonging to Putin's United Russia would use.

  "Our politics teacher," Victoria answered proudly, referring to the young man who was going to be taking them to the Model United Nations Summit at The Royal Russell School in Surrey, England that her school attended every year.

  "And the salmon reference?" he asked with a little smirk while making a mental note to ask Mikhail to check out the background of this young teacher who seemed, to his disgust, to be turning his daughter into a poster child for the